On May 30, San Francisco Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum had what used to be a routine outing. His line: seven innings pitched, one earned run and six strikeouts.

For a guy who’s won two National League Cy Young Awards, been a four-time All-Star and recorded more than 1,200 strikeouts, that line sounds pretty standard. However, he also walked a season-high five batters. On the season, he’s walking 4.9 men per nine, well above his career average of 3.4.

It gets worse.

The Giants are 2-11 when Lincecum starts and have lost eight straight when he pitches. Conversely, the Giants are 34-17 when he doesn’t take the hill. Currently at 2-7 with a 6.00 ERA, one of the game’s most dominant pitchers over the past four years now ranks among the worst starting pitchers in baseball in terms of ERA, WHIP and losses.

Problem is, no one can figure it out. What is wrong with Lincecum?

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Jim Bowden

Bowden, who served as the senior vice president and GM for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Nationals, is an analyst for ESPN.com.
In 1992, Bowden became the youngest GM in MLB history when the Reds hired him at age 31. The Reds finished in first place twice during his 10 years as GM, and he was named MLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America in 1999.
After working for ESPN in 2004, Bowden became the first GM of the Washington Nationals when the franchise relocated from Montreal to Washington, D.C., in 2005, working in that role until the 2009 season. Bowden co-hosts the "Inside Pitch" radio show on Sirius XM satellite radio. Follow on Twitter: @JimBowden_ESPN.